View of Monkey Point
Kasauli Church
R.Maidens hotel
Upper mall road.
British period clock at Church.
Himachal Pradesh is full of beautiful hill stations. One such hill station is Kasauli in the Solan district of the state.
At an altitude of around 6000 feet (1830 meters), this small yet beautiful town is a boon to those who want to take a break from the painful and disturbing city life. I visited Kasauli in October 2008 and found it a serene and calm place to spend a couple of days. Kasauli is well connected by road through NH22. From Delhi its around 300 kms 6 hrs drive by road. Drive is not at all tiring as the roads are good. The road that links NH22 to Kasauli is a narrow though good motorable road which will start somewhere near Dharampur.
Kasauli has historical importance too as its said that the British came here around 1840 A.D. and found this place very calm and cool, so they set up a cantonment here. Though they have gone back to England, some of the beautiful buildings and monuments they built here, give this place an antique touch.
There are two main roads in Kasauli - Upper Mall road and Lower Mall road. Both the roads originate from a central point which lies at the entrance to the main city. This central and happening place has a British period old Church, a market, a bus stand, a general car parking and some economy class hotels. To enter Kasauli in your personal vehicle, you need to shell out Rs 65/- as the entry fee. Once you enter you may choose to drive up towards the Upper Mall road or the lower mall road depending upon the location of your hotel. You will find Military police constables posted at major intersections and crossings in the town to guide you.
Upper mall road has some classic Palatial properties including famous author Khushwant Singh's residence, Central Research Institute, A British time club called Kasauli Club (1888), a Army holiday Home, a sunset point and a walker's paradise called Gilbert Trail. Spending an evening at the Sunset point will an exciting experience as you will enjoy it as I did by staring at the Sun setting down at the Horizon till its last visible periphery.
Lower mall road leads to the famous Manki Point, about which I have mentioned later in this blog. Lower Mall road also has some good hotels. You can either choose from amongst some of luxurious private hotels or an HPTDC (HP tourism development corporation) hotel Ros Common. The hotel where I stayed is a private hotel called R.Maidens. If you are going to Kasauli by your private vehicle, make sure that the hotel where you stay has a spacious car parking facility, else you will end up parking your vehicle at a general parking area. Though these parkings are safe, its better to have your vehicle near you. A Sunrise point is also there at the Lower mall road from where you can enjoy the panaromic view of early sunrise.
There is no public transport as such to visit places in and around Kasauli. However, you can hire a taxi from the bus stand area for a day trip or depending on your sight seeing choice. One can have the real fun and joy of this place on feet, enjoying the fresh air and peaceful nature. I met a couple of elderly people who daily take morning and evening walks from Lower mall road and go upto Manki point airforce base. They say it comfortably takes between 1 hr to 1.5 hrs to cover this distance. Actually I feel, this time spent in walk is worth not only for the health gain through the fresh feel of nature's goodness, but also for enjoying the beautiful hillside and remote landscapes in the purest form of nature.
Manki Point at the other end of the Lower Mall road, is a place more of a religious interest. The interesting historical fact about Manki Point dates back to the era of Ramayana. Its believed that Lord Hanuman while going in search of Sanjeevani Booti for the unconscious Laxman, rested his left foot atop a 300 meters high hill top, to take a big leap and to fly ahead towards higher Himalayas to fetch the shrub.
Today, this hilltop is known as Manki Point or Monkey Point. On the top of the peak, you will find a Hanuman temple. The testimony to the mythological belief, as written in the temple premises, says that one can notice Hanuman's left foot impression at the premises. I stood there and was amazed to notice that actually I was standing on a giant left foot impression platform having temple at the rear of this foot impression, a helipad at the centre of it and a beautiful viewpoint towards the toes of this footprint. From the viewpoint, I could clearly see the Kalka city only (12-14 kms aerial approx) as it was slightly hazy that day and it was not possible to view Chandigarh which is even farther, though people say that city beautiful (Chandigarh) is clearly visible on a clear sky day.
Its important to mention here that you are not allowed to carry your camera, mobile phones, binoculars etc beyond an Airforce checkpost. Your vehicle has to be parked outside this airforce area and you have to walk a distance of around a kilometer to reach the climb origin for Manki point. In addition, you are required to prove your identity by showing a photo Id proof to the security staff before proceeding ahead. So don't forget to have a photo Id proof before going to this place.
Let me also alert you to stay away from monkeys in Kasauli. They are spotted almost everywhere and in big groups. Never dare to offer any eatable to them. Do not carry any eating stuff while walking on the roads. Do not tease them or try to befriend them as it can be dangerous for you. Carry a torch and a stick when its dark.
Kasauli being a small and clean place under defence supervision, I advice you not to drink in public and not to litter on roads. You may be heavily fined if caught.
You can visit Kasauli anytime during the year, however avoid the place during monsoon period (July - September). In winters, Kasauli receives some light to medium snowfall which makes the sight of nearby hills even more beautiful.If you are seriously looking for a change from your daily routine life, I strongly recommend you to visit this small and peaceful yet a wonderful hill station. Ideally a 2-3 day stay is enough to see the places in and around Kasauli, however if you want to spend some quality time of life away from city noise, pollution and tensions, you can stay here for a couple of weeks to revitalize yourself with the blessings of mother nature.
